Axle restraint device



April 14, 1936.

Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES AXLE RE STRAINT Wiacheslaw de Supinski, Erie, Pa., assgnor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 13, 1934, Serial No. 730,424

5 Claims.

Y My invention relates to axle restraint devices for railway vehicles.

In railway vehicles, such as locomotives or cars, having a plurality of wheel and axle assemblies carried in a rigid frame it is desirable to arrange one or more of the axles for lateral movement with respect to the frame in order to decrease the side thrust of the wheels on the rails. This lateral movement may be of considerable magnitude as, for instance, two or three inches, and should be restrained so that the axle will normally be centered with respect to the frame.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement for permitting restrained lateral movement of the wheel and axle assemblies with respect to the frame. I accomplish this by providing pedestal jaw shoes having iianges embracing the sides of the pedestal jaws and arranging springs between the flanges of the pedestal shoes and the pedestal jaws to resiliently center the pedestal shoes with respect to the pedestal Jaws.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specication.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation of a vehicle having an axle-restraint device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown my invention in connection with a locomotive having an axle I with a wheel 2 and a journal box 3 secured thereto. The locomotive has a rigid frame including a side frame 1 having integral pedestal jaws IIJ which are connected at their lower ends by a pedestal cap I2. The weight of the locomotive is carried on the journal box by a transverse spring 5 resting on the journal box intermediate the` ends and having equalizers 6 bearing on each end.

In accordance with my invention restrained lateral movement of the wheels with respect to the frame is provided by utilizing channel-shaped pedestal shoes I3 having their flanges extending along and embracing the sides of each of the pedestal jaws I and arranged for lateral movement with respect to the pedestal jaws. The pedestal shoes cooperate with the guide iianges I4 on the journal box to permit relative vertical movement between the journal box and the vehicle frame. The upper end of each of the pedestal shoes rests against a projection 9 on the (Cl. 10B-222) t pedestal jaws and the lower end of each pedestal shoe rests on the pedestal cap I2. The pedestal shoes and journal boxes 3 are resiliently centered with respect to the frame by coil springs 22 which extend through openings 22a in the pedestal 5 jaws and have cups I tting over each end of the springs and engaging the inner surface of the flanges of the pedestal shoes. 'I'he cups are slidable in bushings I6 which are secured in an opening in the pedestal jaws, and outward movement of the cups by the springs is prevented by the engagement of flanges I6a thereon with the inner edge of the bushings I6. By this arrangement the cups I5 and bushings I6 retain the springs in position and the bushings I6 guide the movement of the springs during lateral movement of the axle with respect to the pedestal jaws.

When the wheels and axles are centered by the springs 22 with respect to the pedestal jaws, the journal boxes 3 are in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the flanges IBa on each of the cups I5 engage the ends of the bushings I6 so as to retain the springs 22 under compression without exerting a force tending to move the pedestal shoes from this position. The initial compression of the springs 22 determines the force necessary to move the wheels and axle from their center position. Upon lateral movement of the wheels 2 and axle with respect to the side frame 1, caused-by unevenness or curvature of the rails, the journal box 3 and pedestal shoes I3 move with the wheel causing the cups I5 on one side of the pedestal shoes to compress the springs 22 and thus resiliently center the wheels with respect to the frame, Y

Although I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the construction described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

l. An axle restraint device comprising a frame having pedestal jaws, channel-shaped pedestal shoes laterally movable with respect to said jaws and having flanges embracing the sides of said jaws, an axle having a journal box vertically slidable on said shoes, compression springs extending between said flanges and retained under compression thereby, and means associated with said springs and said jaws for compressing said 55 springs against either of said flanges to center said axle With respect to said frame.

2. An axle restraint device comprising a frame having pedestal jaws, channel-shaped pedestal shoes laterally movable with respect to said jaws and having flanges embracing the sides of said jaws, an axle having a journal box vertically slidable on said shoes, springs extending between said anges and retained under compression thereby, and means including cups associated with said spring for compressing said spring against either of said anges to center said axle with respect to said frame.

3. An axle restraint device comprising a frame having pedestal jaws, channel-shaped pedestal shoes laterally movable with respect to said jaws and having iianges embracing the sides of said jaws, an axle having a journal box vertically slidable on said shoes, and means including coil springs extending through said jaws and engaging said anges at each end for centering said axle with respect to said jaws.

4. An axle restraint device comprising a frame having pedestal jaws, channel-shaped pedestal shoes laterally movable with respect to said jaws and having anges embracing the sides of said jaws, an axle having a journal box vertically slidable on said shoes, means including coil springs extending through said jaws and having cups on either end engaging said flanges, said cups being inwardly movable, and means for limiting outward movement of said cups with respect to said jaws.

5. An axle restraint device comprising a frame having pedestal jaws, channelshaped pedestal shoes laterally movable with respect to said jaws and having flanges embracing the sides of said jaws, an axle having a journal box vertically slidable on said shoes, coil springs extending through said jaws and having cups at either end engaging said iianges, and means including bushings secured in said jaws for guiding the movement of said cups and for limiting outward movement of said cups with respect to said jaws.

WIACHESLAW DE SUPINSKI. 

